FPP participants who wish to earn the Certificate in University Teaching (CUT) must complete an Independent Mentored Teaching Experience. In the “standard model” devised at the inception of the FPP, participating students would normally have primary responsibility for their own courses or sections, under the guidance of Faculty Teaching Mentors, following a year or more of conventional TA assignments (as graders, lab or recitation/discussion section leaders, etc.) . In view of the diversity of departmental curricula, instructional modes, and funding models, however, not all students can expect to hold an Instructor of Record appointment with their department during their graduate career. In such cases, FPP participants, mentors, and administrators work together to design TAships with enhanced instructional opportunities that invest graduate students with autonomy and responsibility mirroring that expected of faculty educators in their disciplines.

"[The Independent Mentored Teaching Experience] fortified my relationship with my mentor and other faculty members as well, and I became engaged in the process of teaching and mentoring other graduate students."

- FPP alumnus

Adjunct appointments at SU, at other schools in the area, or online often represent excellent alternatives for students whose home departments do not reliably afford independent teaching opportunities. Courses or training programs not offered through an institution of higher learning may also be options, provided the experience offers a reasonable approximation of TA or adjunct assignments in terms of workload, duration, and college-level content.